Rowers warm up at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Lagoa Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
Olympic hopefuls will have the chance to try out in front of the U.S. Olympic Committee this Saturday.
24-Hour-Fitness, in partnership with the USOC, announced on Tuesday that it will hold open tryouts on June 2 for anyone who wants to test their athleticism. Contenders will be run through in 30-meter sprints, pull ups, and vertical jumps. The top 100 athletes from this weekend’s first round will then be whittled down to a winner from each of eight sports—including boxing, cycling, rowing, rugby, and weightlifting, which partly comprise the 2020 Summer Games. Those winners will be invited to attend a Team USA camp and potentially secure Team USA financial, medical, and training benefits.
The eight winners will have their stories and journeys chronicled on Team USA digital and social media, and a feature-length, two-part story will be broadcast on Olympics rights holders NBC and NBCSN in November, according to the announcement. Though Team USA is infused with athletes recognized world-wide for their Olympic achievements, the scouting camp concept hopes to identify even younger potential Olympians to compete under the stars and stripes.
SportTechie Takeaway
Saturday’s 24-Hour Fitness tryouts represent an attempt for distributed athlete evaluation, although the tryouts are still being held in-person and won’t necessarily rely deeply on technology. There are, however, examples of using technology to identify potential athletes. For the last two years, Zwift, which allows cyclists on indoor trainers to compete against each other via virtual avatars, has worked with the Canyon/SRAM cycling team to offer female cyclists a chance to turn pro.
